Monthly Archives: August 2017
FFAW owes apology to family of dead fisherman for telling them they don’t qualify for death benefits when they do
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says the FFAW-Unifor owes an apology to the family of a young fisherman who died tragically earlier this month for telling them they didn’t qualify for $30,000 in death benefits when they, in fact, qualify for at least half. Further, the question must be raised whether other families may have been denied death benefits based on misinformation from the union.,,, Calvin (Bud) Tobin, a 25-year-old fisherman from Southern Harbour, died Aug. 2nd in a car accident near Clarenville. Soon after, the family contacted the FFAW-Unifor about the union-administered $30,000 insurance policy, only to be told they didn’t qualify. click here to read the press release 16:05
Calvin Tobin’s family should get $15K from Sun Life, says FFAW didn’t know insurance plan – click here to read the story
Deadline soon for feds’ response to fishing monitor petition
A fishermen’s group says it’s still waiting on the federal government’s response to a petition it filed with the U.S. Supreme Court about the cost of fishing monitors. The government shifted the cost of paying for monitors to fishermen last year, prompting a legal battle. A group of fishermen led by David Goethel of New Hampshire filed a petition seeking a review of the case last month. A spokesman for the fishermen’s attorney says the government has until Monday to respond and has not done so. link 15:32
Access to Surfclam Fishing Grounds Studied by SCeMFiS Scientists in Research Survey Cruise Southeast of Nantucket Island
August 11, 2017, Boston, MA. – The scientists of the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCeMFiS) recently completed a survey of the surfclam fishery area southeast of Nantucket Island to provide information regarding surfclam stock status and habitat to ensure continued resource access by local surfclam vessels. Surveys were successfully conducted in 4 days aboard the F/V Mariette sailing from New Bedford, MA… SCeMFiS scientific projects are unique in that they respond directly to the scientific needs of the fisheries managers in collaboration with the commercial fishing industry while upholding strict quality scientific standards and procedures. click here to read the press release 15:07
Family and friends are depending on you to come back alive. By Jerry Druzan
It’s time to take a mid-season time out. Maybe not a long one, just a few minutes to think about what we’re doing. The Bristol Bay run is strong and running long. Anecdotally, six small vessels have swamped in the Bay due to weather and overloading, fortunately with no loss of life. Alaska commercial fishing has already seen nine fatalities in the first half of 2017. Alaska has not seen this many fatalities within the first half of the year in 13 years. Since July 1, we have had two more fatalities this time in Prince William Sound and in Ugashik Bay. In Alaska, commercial fishing fatalities have been averaging about five per year for the past five years. Alaska commercial fishermen should be rightfully proud of the more than 76% decrease in deaths since the 1980s, but 2017 is experiencing a significant increase in fatalities. Now is a good time to take a few minutes and think about how we can further reduce risks to our vessels and crews. Following are some items to focus on: click here to read the op-ed 12:39
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for August 11, 2017
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 11:48
Fishermen, Public Invited to Meeting With Deepwater Wind
The East Hampton Town Trustees’ harbor management committee will host officials from Deepwater Wind, the Rhode Island company planning to construct a 15-turbine wind farm approximately 30 miles from Montauk, when it meets on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the trustees’ offices at the Donald Lamb Building in Amagansett. The public, particularly members of the town’s commercial fishing industry, has been invited to attend, according to Rick Drew, who heads the committee and is a deputy clerk of the trustees. click here to read the story 11:09
Commercial crabber calls out Al Gore on fake science, explains sea level hasn’t changed at all since 1970
In promotion of his latest film, “An Inconvenient Sequel,” former vice president and global warming activist Al Gore is still desperately trying to make the case that planet earth is heating up, and that only carbon taxes can fix it. But as per usual, he failed miserably during a recent CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper, during which a commercial crabber and local mayor explained that sea levels around his tiny island have remained the same for over half a century. James Eskridge oversees the day-to-day activities on Tangier Island, in Virginia, and he’s been fishing crab there for decades. He’s quite familiar with the tides, the currents, and various other elements in and around the coastal terrain. And other than an ongoing problem related to erosion, in which the shorelines of Tangier Island are progressively disappearing due to constant waves and storms, he says that everything is exactly the same as it’s always been, at least as far as ocean levels are concerned. click here to read the story 09:25
A day late, $30,000 short: Union blames insurer for denying death benefit to fisherman’s family
Keith Sullivan wants to make one thing clear — it was never his union’s decision to prevent a dead fisherman’s family from receiving benefits. Denying Calvin Tobin’s death benefit was a decision made by the union’s insurance provider, says the president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union.,, Tobin, 25, died after a car accident near his hometown of Southern Harbour on Aug. 1. His insurance coverage was terminated the same day, when he failed to pay his union fees by the 11:59 p.m. deadline on July 31.,, At the time of his death, Tobin owed $180 in fees from 2016, Carol Ann Brewer said. But she can’t figure out why the money owed wasn’t taken out of his first paycheque of the current fishing season. click here to read the story 08:45
Gov’t Is Wiping Out the Lobster Population, But Blaming the Fishermen
Lobstermen along much of the New England coast breathed sighs of relief the morning of August 9, when they awoke to discover that, contrary to expectations, a regulatory commission decided not to impose new limits on lobster catches from New Hampshire to Connecticut. Despite this momentary breather, though, the threat of future arbitrary traps looms. But the decrease in lobsters along the New England coast is not the result to over-fishing — it’s all thanks to previous “feel good” government regulations.The meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission took place August 8. Not in New England, of course, where the lobstermen and their primary clients live and work, but in — yeah, you guessed it — Washington, D.C.. .,,, In fact, according to fishermen on site, the real problem stems from previous federal and regional multi-state regulations that have decreased the fish catch — and, as a result, increased the fish population — around New England. click here to read the op-ed 15:59
Cruise ship arrives in port with massive whale carcass on bow
A cruise ship reached an Alaska port with a surprise on its bow: the carcass of a humpback whale. The Grand Princess, a 290 metre ship pulled into Ketchikan yesterday with the marine mammal lodged on its submerged, bulbous bow, a device designed to avoid wave-making. Princess spokesman Brian O’Connor said the company was surprised and saddened to discover the whale. “It is unknown how or when this happened as the ship felt no impact,” he said in a statement. “It is also unknown, at this time, whether the whale was alive or already deceased before becoming lodged on the bow.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating the incident. click here to read the story 15:28
Wanchese fisherman pleads guilty to federal charges
Gaston L. Saunders, 53, of Wanchese, pled guilty on Aug. 3 to federal charges regarding the illegal harvest and sale of Atlantic striped bass from federal waters. The charges stem from a 2010 Lacey Act investigation by NOAA, assisted by the Coast Guard. Since 1990, there has been a ban on harvesting Atlantic striped bass in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which spans between three miles and 200 miles seaward of the coastline. Eleven other commercial fishermen have entered guilty pleas for conduct uncovered in the investigation. Saunders also pled guilty to one count of federal tax evasion and three counts of failure to file federal taxes. In the plea agreement, he agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $544,946.35 payable to the Internal Revenue Service. A sentencing hearing will be set at a later date. Saunders faces a total maximum sentence of 13 years imprisonment and/or a $800,000 fine. click here to read the story 14:19
Simrad Announces A2004 Autopilot Controller
The new Simrad A2004 is a dedicated autopilot controller designed to meet the needs of workboat, commercial fishing and passenger vessels. The A2004 is suited for vessels that don’t require SOLAS Heading Control Systems but do require a proven autopilot interface backed by Continuum software for accuracy and ease of use. The autopilot’s information is presented on a wide-angle and zero-fog color display and is engineered for responsiveness and ease of use with a precision rotary control dial and dedicated buttons for instant access to steering modes, a custom-configurable work mode and automated turn patterns. click here to read the story 13:53
Southeast summer Dungeness harvest the worst in decades
The summer season for Dungies closed three weeks early in Southeast. I sat down with Kellii Wood, a Crab Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, to ask what happened. “How did it go this year,” I ask her. Wood laughs and gives a drawn out, “well.” The thing is Dungeness crab in Southeast are tricky because state managers don’t know a lot about them. The crab are on a four to five year life cycle and the commercial fishery is expected to fluctuate accordingly. But there are no stock assessment surveys so biologists rely on commercial harvests to track the population.,,, Wood says there has been some anecdotal evidence from fishermen reporting light-colored crab near the end of the fishery. That would indicate crab that recently molted. So this summer’s low harvest could be due to a late molt. It could mean that the crab are there, it’s just bad timing. Audio, click hereto read the story 12:36
Fishermen finding carapace increase hard to swallow
Fishermen returning to port in Miminegash on Wednesday were not so much concerned with the size of their catch as they were with what they were throwing over. “It’s scary,” said Peter Hustler, a fisherman’s helper with captain Michael Myers. He estimated the amount of lobsters he had to return that would have been legal size last year, would have meant eight to 10 more pans of canners. The carapace measure was increased by two millimeters this year following a one-mm increase last year, and Myers had plenty to say about that. “The measure is not going to prove out,” he said, suggesting Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc should have listened to P.E.I. fishermen’s pleas and trimmed the carapace increase to just a millimeter this year. click here to read the story 11:35
Racing the past in Jonesport, Maine: 5 days aboard the world’s fastest lobster boats
The lobstermen who make up this strange party compete all summer long on a race circuit that takes them and their boats to 11 fishing communities up and down the Maine coast. A 26-foot boat really only needs a 250-horsepower engine, but in order to race, lobstermen and women trick out boats of that size with 350-500 horsepower and open up their throttles for little more than pride. Some of the vessels are over 40 feet long and pack over 1200 horsepower. The winnings are negligible; first place takes home $150, second place nets $100, and third wins $50. That’s nothing for people who pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year catching lobsters. The money doesn’t matter. The real prize is bragging rights. Video, click here to read the story 10:29
Bristol Bay: Local fisherman celebrates 60th year of fishing
Archie Fischer wrapped up his salmon season at the end of July. He said it was a disappointing run for him. “Well the Kvichak never hit like it should. We didn’t get any push of fish up the Kvichak at all. So that was a letdown,” he said. “That’s the only place I go is here anymore – I stay right home here.” But a bad run does not really phase Fischer. He said that for him it is more about the act of fishing, adding that at 72 it is what gives him life. “I really don’t know how to explain this it’s my life. I got salt water running through veins instead of blood so I gotta come back fishing no matter what,” Fischer said. “I couldn’t imagine me not fishing, it’d be like a cowboy with a broken leg and he can’t ride his horse no more or something like that.” Audio, click here to read the story 09:05
Feds slash Red Hake possesion limit – BIG reduction from 3,000 lbs per trip to 400 lbs per trip
The northern red hake commercial possession limit is reduced from 3,000 lbs per trip to 400 lbs per trip. Effective immediately, federally permitted vessels may not possess on board or land more than 400 lb of northern red hake per trip for the remainder of the 2017 fishing year (i.e., through April 30, 2018). This reduction is required because the northern red hake fishery is projected to have reached or exceeded 37.9 percent of the total allowable landings. Vessels that have started a fishing trip when this possession limit reduction becomes effective may retain northern red hake under the previous possession limit of 3,000 lb for the remainder of that trip Dealers issued federal dealer permits for small-mesh multispecies may not purchase more than 400 lbs of northern red hake per trip from federally permitted vessels for trips started after August 7, 2017. Read the full notice click here 21:19
Trump Admin Won’t List Non-Endangered Tuna As An Endangered Species
The Trump administration declined a petition to list the Pacific bluefin tuna as “endangered” Tuesday after the Department of Commerce (DOC) found that the fish was not facing any significant threat of extinction. A petition from the Center of Biological Diversity to list the fish under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) triggered the Commerce Department’s review. The review began under former President Barack Obama, and lasted for 12 months before the DOC’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued its findings, according to the notice published in the Federal Register. The Center for Biological Diversity claimed the tuna was at risk of extinction, based on findings by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). click here to read the story 20:01
Drone images of the lobster fleet
Maine is known around the world for the iconic lobster boats that dot the coast and are the primary vehicle for the state’s renowned fishing industry. Portland-based photographer Mark Fleming has developed a new perspective on these boats by using a drone to capture them in an innovative, yet classic fashion. The Island Institute is celebrating Fleming’s extraordinary visual record of these working vessels by featuring his work on the covers of the new edition of the Island Journal, the Institute’s annual magazine.,,“Fishermen take pride in their boats,” said Fleming. “Not only do they often put their life savings into these vessels, but they put their personalities into them as well. It’s these details that become really important when you isolate the boat.” click here to read the story 16:53
Family of dead fisherman allegedly denied $30K benefit over owing dues to FFAW
The family of a fisherman who was killed in a car crash last week says they are being denied a $30,000 benefit because his union card expired the day before he died. Calvin Tobin was just 25 when he died in the crash near Clarenville on Aug. 1. Now his family is fighting to collect his life insurance policy, which they say is being held up by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW). Tobin was 24 hours overdue on union fees when doctors were trying to save his life. “For the sake of one day really … they are refusing to pay out his benefits,” said Richard Brewer, Tobin’s uncle.,,, Tobin may have believed his union fees were already covered, his uncle said. click here to read the story 13:42
Unbelievable! Court backs lobster cruelty fine against Sydney Fish Markets store
The state’s first crustacean cruelty conviction will stand after Nicholas Seafood at Glebe lost an appeal in the District Court. The conviction was recorded after photographs emerged of a staffer carving up a lobster without first stunning it at the store’s Sydney Fish Markets premises. The store had appealed the “severity” of a $1500 fine imposed by the Sydney Downing Centre Court in February relating to a charge of an act of animal cruelty. It had been enforced after a member of the public recorded a fishmonger killing the lobster without any attempt to stun the animal to mitigate its suffering. click here to read the story 13:08
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: Novi Lobster Boat 49’x11’x20′ 335HP, 6 Cylinder Volvo Diesel
Specifications, information and 11 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:01
P.E.I.’s fall fishery facing falling lobster prices, surging dollar
Bobby Jenkins, Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association president, says there are a much smaller number of fishermen harvesting lobster in the fall, compared with the Island’s spring fishery. That, he said, may help maintain prices but there are storm clouds on the horizon. P.E.I.’s fall lobster fishermen set their gear in the Northumberland Strait between Victoria and North Cape on Tuesday. They share the lobster fishing zone with New Brunswick fishermen and a few harvesters from Nova Scotia. The first full catches of the season will be landed today. click here to read the story 09:59
For New Commercial Fishermen, Licensing Hurdles Are High
For Sag Harbor native Aaron Rozzi, embarking on a career as a commercial fisherman was always going to be a steep uphill climb. Increasingly stringent regulation of fish stocks, and the ever-escalating costs of equipment, fuel and simply living on the South Fork make the life of a traditional bayman a hard path to follow in today’s world.,,, Stian Stiansen, a Hampton Bays fisherman who died at the age of 85 when his boat capsized while returning from fishing into Shinnecock Inlet in 2013, thought he had made all the necessary arrangements to transfer his licenses to his nephew, Norman Stiansen, before he died. Norman, also a Shinnecock Bay-based dragger captain, like his father and uncle, intended to take Stian’s licenses and transfer his own licenses to his son, Peter, who was nearing the age when he would take over a boat and go to work for himself. click here to read the story 09:34
F/V Destination Investigation: Day 2 – Brother of lost fisherman tells investigators about pressures of commercial fishing
Two days before the fishing vessel Destination disappeared in the Bering Sea with six crew members aboard, Dylan Hatfield met up with the crew in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Hatfield previously worked on the Destination. His brother, Darrik Seibold, took his place and was among those lost at sea. “I personally worked with every single man,” Seibold (Hatfield) told Coast Guard investigators who are looking into the February sinking of the boat. Hatfield said when he came off another boat and met the Destination’s crew, “the boys were pretty beat down. It was a pretty grueling cod season” with 24-hour work shifts. The crew was switching seasons, from cod to crab, and they were behind schedule for a delivery. Over dinner at the Norwegian Rat Saloon, Hatfield said, “I was all giddy and excited and it was a table full of long faces.” Video, click here to read the story 08:38
Federal fisheries minister says he’ll ensure fishermen leave a ‘minimum amount of rope’ on the water
As federal fisheries officials consider changes in the industry to avert whale deaths, some lobster fishermen are concerned about the potential effect on their livelihood. Last week, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the federal government will bring “absolutely every protection to bear” to prevent further deaths of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.,,, LeBlanc said he’s mulled changes in fishing gear, including ensuring fishermen leave a “minimum amount of rope” floating on the surface.,,, But some fishermen say longer lines are necessary to make sure balloon and buoy markers, which are connected by rope to the traps, remain on the surface in strong currents. Susan Beaton agrees. Beaton said she’s worried a decision will be made too hastily. click here to read the story 21:51
Lifejacket probe widened following Fishing Vessel Louisa fishermen deaths
An investigation into the performance of lifejackets worn by three fishermen who died after their boat sank has been widened out to other parts of Europe. The men lost their lives after abandoning the crab boat Louisa off Mingulay last year. The coastguard and maritime accident investigators have been examining the lifejackets and how they are tested. Partners agencies elsewhere in Europe have been contacted about a wider research and testing programme. The survival aids involved in the Louisa incident are understood to be widely used.,,On the latest developments, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “This is the first time we have had a concern identified with an in-service lifejacket and we are investigating urgently. click here to read the story 20:21
Coast Guard medevacs injured fisherman 50 miles east of Gloucester
An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod medevaced a 37-year-old man from the fishing boat Orion Tuesday after he suffered a severe hand injury while about 50 miles east of Gloucester. Another Orion fisherman used a VHF radio to hail for help and report the man’s glove caught on a line going into a winch, and he suffered a severe hand injury. The helicopter crew diverted from a search and rescue training event in Boston Harbor to help the injured man. After hoisting the man from the fishing boat onto the helicopter, he was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital where his care was transferred to awaiting medical personnel. -USCG- 17:31
Coast Guard delivers dewatering pumps, saves boat and crew 66 miles west of Tillamook Head
The Coast Guard delivered three dewatering pumps, Tuesday morning to a commercial fishing vessel taking on water 66 miles west of Tillamook Head saving the boat and the crew, and is currently towing the vessel toward the Columbia River entrance. A boat crew aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, located in Ilwaco, Washington, is towing the fishing vessel Pura Vida and its three person crew and has an estimated time of arrival to the Columbia River of 6 p.m., Tuesday. Coast Guard watchstanders in the Sector Columbia River command center received a mayday call from the captain of the Pura Vida, a 48-foot commercial fishing vessel at 3:36 a.m., reporting the emergency situation and reported all crewmembers were wearing life jackets. The Captain also reported the vessel is equipped with a life raft and survival suits. A second pump was delivered from the commercial fishing vessel Western Edge, a good Samaritan vessel on scene. USCG click here for video 17:18
Honors planned for Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association president
Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, will be the guest of honor at the Sea to Supper Celebration at 6 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Mile Marker One Restaurant & Bar, 75 Essex St., in the Cape Ann Marina Resort.,, Proceeds benefit nonprofit Fishing Partnership Support Services, which Sanfilippo helped found in the late ’90s, and on whose board of directors she has served ever since. Fishing Partnership Support Services helps commercial fishermen and their families through a variety of free services — from safety trainings, to health coverage enrollment assistance, to disaster relief support.,, While honoring Sanfilippo, the Sea to Supper Celebration will also highlight the contributions commercial fishermen have made to coastal communities and to the health of seafood consumers, according to J.J. Bartlett, president of Fishing Partnership Support Services. Tickets are available with links in the article 16:38
